Pages

Friday, May 16, 2014

Baltimore Oriole at Farm Pond

Today dawned grey and cool, but humid. I visited Farm Pond and Cushing Memorial Park in Framingham this morning, for a change of scenery. I thought I might see some baby Mute Swans, but all the swans were on the far side of the water.

Baltimore Oriole

Great Blue Heron

The grounds at Cushing host an awful lot of House Sparrows, my most common bird sighting. I didn't even bother to take a photo! Also seen:

American Crow

American Robin

Black-Capped Chickadee

Chipping Sparrow

Common Raven

European Starling

Gray Catbird

House Finch

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove
(doing its best weathervane impression)

Striped Cream Violet

Northern Cardinal

(Someone's working hard to feed the family!)

Chipping Sparrow

Pink was the color of the day in the gardens around the Cushing Memorial Chapel. It sure contrasted nicely with the grey of the morning.

The weather went downhill even further by noon time, and it was raining and blowing a heavy misty rain when I hoped to be walking outside. I birded by car at Hopkinton State Park, a very unsatisfying alternative. I did find 3 Barn Swallow nests on the building down by the beach parking lot.

Killdeer

Also seen:

American Crow

American Robin

Barn Swallow

Chipping Sparrow

Double Crested Cormorant

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Mallard

Pine Warbler (call only)

Spotted Sandpiper

Tree Swallow

By now you must realize that when it rains, I love to take photos of flowers with droplets on them. Here are a couple from my front garden.

Candytuft

(against a Bugleweed background)

Cushion Spurge

Note: At 2:30AM, I felt tick #4 embedded in leg. I really must try something else for tick protection.